This invention relates to a chassis for motor vehicles, and more particularly, the invention relates to structural members such as portions of the frame supporting a suspension assembly or a portion of a hollow axle beam.
Hollow members are frequently used in the construction of chassis components such as axles and portions of frames. The use of tubular members permits the weight of the chassis to be greatly reduced. The tubular members of the chassis undergo numerous bending and torsional forces which may compromise the structural integrity of the member. As a result, the tubular members are designed such that the wall thickness is sufficient to maintain the structural integrity of the member under these torsional and bending forces. However, increased wall thickness adds weight to the chassis.
To reduce the wall thickness of the tubular members and transmit the torsional and bending forces into the tubular member in a structurally desirable manner, brackets are frequently secured to the member. Brackets are used to transmit bending, torsional and shear forces such as those produced by a variety of suspension components attached to the tubular member. Use of brackets may be expensive in that they sometimes require complex welds to attach the brackets to the tubular member. It is desirable to provide a tubular member for use in a chassis with a relatively thin wall to save weight and cost without requiring specialized brackets to secure chassis components to the tubular member to successfully transmit suspension loads to that tubular member.
The present invention provides a vehicle chassis having a hollow structural member with an opening at an end. A cavity extends from the opening and is defined by interior walls. The hollow structural member may be an axle or a portion of a frame. A bulkhead is arranged in the cavity transverse to the interior walls and spaced from the opening. The bulkhead substantially extends between and connects the interior walls, preferably at a right angle. The chassis component, such as an air spring or a member clamped to the hollow structural member with a U-bolt or other means, is supported exteriorly on the hollow structural member. The chassis component generates a force and the bulkhead provides a counterforce to the force to maintain the structural integrity of the hollow structural member. In this manner, the hollow structural member is better able to withstand bending and torsional forces without the use of specialized brackets.
Accordingly, the above invention provides a tubular member for use in a chassis with a relatively thin wall that does not require specialized brackets to secure chassis components to the tubular member.